Police arrest second UT student in fraternity hazing incident

KNOXVILLE — Authorities on Thursday arrested a second University of Tennessee student on a charge he joined in harassing a fellow student who reported hazing at the Pi Kappa Phi campus chapter.

David Andrew Baird, 20, of Hendersonville, Tenn., was booked at the Knox County Sheriff’s Detention Facility on the harassment charge. He was being held Thursday morning in jail in lieu of $2,000 bond.

Kelby Christopher Cowan, 18, of Brentwood, Tenn., was charged with harassment Tuesday in connection with a series of threatening, profanity-laced text messages sent to Andrew Preston, according to an arrest warrant.

Preston did not return a call for comment Wednesday.

The messages were sent Nov. 23, a day after the parent of a pledge at Pi Kappa Phi’s Alpha Sigma chapter called UT police to report that his son had been physically and verbally attacked during fraternity rituals, according to documents released by the university earlier this week.

“The texts kept coming and progressively became more agitated,” the warrants read. “Prior to sending the texts, Mr. Baird and Mr. Cowan received a letter from the University of Tennessee Student Life office stating that all members of the fraternity were to refrain from sending any emails, texts, or phone calls that would be considered retaliatory or intimidating in nature to the parties involved in reporting the hazing incident.”

Baird is accused of sending the first messages to Preston at 10:26 p.m., records show.

The text messages called Preston a gay slur and a Geed, a slang term for a person not affiliated with a Greek fraternity.

“The text stated the victim should wear his running shoes because he was ... dead,” court records show. “The text then indicates that they meet to fight.”

Baird allegedly threatened to continue the harassment, records state.

Baird’s messages ended at 11:27 p.m. and two minutes later messages were sent to Preston from Cowan’s phone number, records state.

Cowan allegedly used multiple vulgarities to question Preston’s manhood, threatened him with physical violence and told Preston he should transfer from UT.

Police traced the texts to phone numbers used by Baird and Cowan.

“Prior to the harassing text messages, the victim (Preston) had been involved in reporting a fraternity hazing incident that had happened to the defendant and co-defendant (Cowan and Baird),” records state, indicating Cowan and Baird were the willing victims of alleged hazing.

UT Police Department Sgt. Cedric Roach confirmed the arrests are tied to hazing at Pi Kappa Phi, but declined to elaborate on the hazing allegations, citing an ongoing investigation.

A UT spokeswoman said disciplinary action is likely.

After the investigation was launched, Pi Kappa Phi’s national organization announced Friday that it would close the UT chapter. The Alpha Sigma house already was on disciplinary probation for a spring hazing incident.

Pi Kappa Phi is the third fraternity to close its UT chapter for disciplinary reasons in less than two years.